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A top official in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says an upcoming release of the treated radioactive water into sea more than 12 years after the meltdown disaster marks “a milestone." TOKYO -- A top official in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says an upcoming release of treated radioactive water into the sea more than 12 years after the meltdown disaster marks “a milestone ,” but it's still an initial step of the daunting task of the decades-long decommissioning process that still remain. Junichi Matsumoto, corporate officer in charge of the treated water management for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima plant, also pledged to carry out careful sampling, analysis and data disclosure of the water to make sure its release is safely carried out in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency standards this month. “The release of the ALPS-treated water into the sea for us is a major milestone for...

Executives of the company, known as TECPCO, told reporters they would immediately halt the release of the treated water into the Pacific if any issues were detected. TOKYO and LONDON -- Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company began releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday afternoon. Executives of the company, known as TEPCO, told reporters they would immediately halt the release of the treated water into the Pacific if any issues were detected. The water began flowing at about 1 p.m. local time with an initial plan to release water "continuously" over a period of 17 days, according to the company. TEPCO executive Junichi Matsumoto, center, who is in charge of the treated water release from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, announces that the first batch of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater will be released into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday from the plant, in the Okuma town on ...

A longer dry season and a less rainy wet season have led to a shortage of freshwater to feed the Panama Canal. Low water levels at the Panama Canal are causing a traffic jam at the historic trading route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, threatening to ensnarl the holiday shipping season and raising alarm among canal officials. The 109-year-old canal works through a water lock system that move ships up or down as they make it to the other side. Each ship that goes through the canal uses millions of gallons of water that gets sucked in from nearby lakes. Without this fresh water , the canal can't operate. There's always been enough rainfall flowing to these lakes, but this year a longer dry season and a shorter rainy season have led to a shortage of freshwater to feed the canal, according to canal officials. ABC News foreign correspondent Matt Rivers spoke to “START HERE” about his visit to the canal, how authorities are instituting new rules to help conserve wat...

Algeria’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged that its forces fired on a group of people on water scooters who strayed into Algerian waters from Morocco, and that a body was later found ALGIERS, Algeria -- Algeria’s Defense Ministry has acknowledged that its forces fired on a group of people on water scooters who strayed into Algerian waters from Morocco, and that a body was later found. The shooting has provoked national anger in Morocco. The North African neighbors have no diplomatic relations and their maritime border has been closed since the 1990s because of long-running disputes over the territory of Western Sahara, among other issues. But deadly confrontations in the sea are unusual. Moroccan media say Algerian forces killed two vacationers in the incident last week. France says a French citizen was among those killed and another French citizen was detained. A protest was planned Monday in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, to denounce the killings. The Algerian Defense Ministry said i...

More than 100 dolphins have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week due to a severe drought, and many more could be affected if water temperatures remain high SAO PAULO -- More than 100 dolphin s have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week as the region grapples with a severe drought, and many more could die soon if water temperatures remain high, experts say. The Mamiraua Institute, a research group of Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said two more dead dolphins were found Monday in the region around Tefe Lake, which is key for mammals and fish in the area. Video provided by the institute showed vultures picking at the dolphin carcasses beached on the lakeside. Thousands of fish have also died, local media reported. Experts believe high water temperatures are the most likely cause of the deaths in the lakes in the region. Temperatures since last week have exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Tefe Lake ...

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the discharge of the second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea has ended as planned on Monday TOKYO -- The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said the discharge of the second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea ended as planned on Monday, and International Atomic Energy Agency officials in Japan for their first safety and monitoring mission since the release began two months ago said “no issues” were observed. Fukushima Daiichi started releasing treated and diluted radioactive waste water into the sea on Aug. 24. The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said the release of a second, 7,800-ton batch of treated waste water was completed, with its daily sea water sampling results fully meeting safety standards. A magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11, 2011, triggered a massive tsunami that destroyed the plant’s power supply and cooling systems, causing three rea...

Large swells are battering the northeast Caribbean as Hurricane Lee churns nearby through open waters as a Category 3 storm SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Large swells battered the northeast Caribbean on Saturday as Hurricane Lee churned nearby through open water s as a Category 3 storm. The storm, which is not forecast to make landfall, was located 385 miles (620 kilometers) east- northeast of the north ern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 115 mph (185 kph) and was moving west- north west at 12 mph (19 kph). Earlier this week, Lee grew from a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm in just one day amid warm waters and limited wind shear. “This was one of the fastest rates of strengthening in the Atlantic Basin on record,” AccuWeather said in a statement. Lee was forecast to pass well north of the northeast Caribbean in a big relief to people from the British Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, which are still recovering from hurricanes Irma and Maria that hit in September 2017. Tropical ...

Hurricane Lee is whirling through open waters as forecasters warn it could become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Hurricane Lee whirled through open waters on Thursday as forecasters warned it could become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season. Lee was not expected to make landfall while on a projected path that will take it near the northeast Caribbean, although forecasters said tropical storm conditions are possible on some islands. Meteorologists said it was too early to provide details on potential rainfall and wind gusts. The Category 4 hurricane was located about 780 miles (1,260 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 130 miles per hour (215 kilometers per hour) and was moving west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph). The storm was expected to grow even more powerful late Thursday and remain a major hurricane into next week. “Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate,” the National Hurrica...